CD Projekt RED Welcomes Newcomers to The Witcher Universe Without Spoiling It for Existing Fans

CD Projekt RED has put in a great deal of effort to ensure that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will be accessible for new players, but without compromising anything for existing fans of the series. Speaking to IGN, Senior Writer Jakub Szamałek said that Wild Hunt will highlight Geralt’s origins, and tell a new story that incorporates the series’ history.

So, we were aware that there would be a lot of new players coming into the Witcher world to play Wild Hunt, and we worked really hard to make sure that the prologue is inviting to these new players. It unravels kind of slowly so it allows you to get used to this world and get to know the characters, so we really worked a lot on the prologue to ensure that, even if you know absolutely nothing about the Witcher universe, you can get to know this universe by the end of it.

Szamałek further said that players will understand who Geralt is, where he comes from, who the Witchers are and what the world is like. The developer wants to ensure that players understand the basics by the end of the prologue and continue to learn more about the story as the game progresses.

That said, CD Projekt RED has not made any additions to the game that existing players would find pointless. In fact, PC players will be able to transfer their saves over to the new game in order to continue with the story. Although console players won’t be able to do that, they will be able to simulate the choices from previous games in order to determine what Geralt had done in the past. “Geralt is eventually questioned about what happened, and his answers color your story with important history, and may have meaningful ramifications down the line,” said Szamałek.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt releases on May 19 in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. If you haven’t already, check out the recently released gameplay video and TV spot for the game.